Several Maine State Police patrol cars are involved in separate incidents, police say

(*This story was updated at 2:17 p.m. Saturday, July 20, 2024 with additional coverage.)

According to a press release from the Maine Department of Public Safety, the Maine State Police are currently investigating two separate accidents involving two different police vehicles.

Shortly after midnight on Friday, July 19, a Maine State Police patrol officer responded with lights and sirens to a car crash in Gardiner on the Maine Turnpike in Lewiston.

A 2015 Ford pickup truck driven by 24-year-old Javier Martinez of Waterville “entered Tropper’s path in an uncontrolled manner” and struck the right side of the patrol car, causing minor damage to both vehicles, the news release said.

No one was injured, but the department said an investigation determined Martinez was driving under the influence of alcohol.

“Mr. Martinez was cited for drunk driving and released pending trial,” the press release said.

In the early hours of Friday morning, a Maine State Trooper was conducting a traffic stop on Route 1 in Gouldsboro and returned to his patrol car with his blue lights flashing.

At that moment, the officer’s patrol car was sideswiped by a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, causing “relatively minor” damage and causing no injuries to either person.

The driver of the Jeep, 71-year-old Andrew Pratt of Cutler, has had multiple police encounters and traffic complaints, the Department of Public Safety said.

On July 4, a police officer filed a driving while impaired report with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.

Pratt was cited for illegally overtaking a stationary emergency vehicle, the agency’s press release said. A further driving impairment report will be prepared from this incident.